Printing press



Dec. 13, 1932. H. R. TROTTER PRINTING PRESS Filed April 13, 1932 2Sheets-Sheet 1 dam/MA Dec. 13, 1932. TR ER 1,890,760

PRINTING PRESS Filed April 13, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 50 Z 16' 10 Z 14 M546 jYenzylZ Trotter 46 Patented Dec. 13, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

. HENRY R. TROTTER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HACKERMANUFACTURING 00., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOISPRINTING PRESS Application filed April 13, 1932.

My invention relates to printing presses 2nd particularly to inkingmechanism there- It is the purpose of my present invention to provide aprinting press wherein the impression cylinder and form carrying bedarerelatively reciprocable and which embodies a form inking roller whosecircumfer ence is at least equal to the printing length of the bed, sothat no portion of the ink distributing surface of the roller willcontact with the form twice during a single inking movement of theroller thereover and thus assure full and even distribution of ink onthe entire form and the avoidance of pale portions after the firstrevolution of the small form rollers commonly used.

In addition my invention contemplates a form inking roller of the typeheretofore specified which is out of contact with all other rollerswhile inking a form and which embodies a friction tire at each endengageable with the bed to rotate the roller both before and during itscontact with a form, said tires being adjustable radially, so that theirsurface speed may be maintained equal to the surface speed of the inkcarrying portion of the roller; such rotation of the rollerindependently of its frictional contact with a form serving to avoidslurring of ink either at the edge or intermediate portions of the form.

Furthermore, my invention contemplates the embodiment in the press ofmeans whereby the distribution of ink from the source of supply to theforminking roller is effected after each movement of the form inkingroller over a form, whereby two distributions of ink from a freshlyinked form inking roller to the form occur prior to each impressiontaken from the form.

In the drawings chosen to illustrate my invention Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a letter press having my invention incorporated therein;

Figure 2, a view in elevation looking at the right-hand end of Figure 1;

Figure 3, a section on the line 33 of Flgure 1; and

Figure 4, a longitudinal section through Serial No. 605,046.

the form inking roller, showing the friction tires at each end of theroller and the means for adjusting them radially so as to maintain thesurface speeds of the tires and ink carrying portion of the rollerequal.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the base of the press, said baseterminating at its upper end in'a table'lO, the upper surface of whichis formed to provide a trough 11. Slidably mounted in this trough is aform carrying bed 12. At each side of the bed 12 is a longitudinal track14, and at one side of the right-hand track 141- (Fig. 2) is formed arack 15 extending longitudinally of the bed. The

purpose of the tracks 14c and rack 15 will presently appear. Rising fromthe sides of the table 10 are metal frame portions 16 and 17respectively. Journaled in said portions are the trunnions 18 of animpression cylinder 19. The end of the impression cylinder adjacent theportion 17 is provided with a gear 20 which meshes with the rack 15. Oneof the trunnions 18 is extended through the frame portion 16 and hasfixedly thereon an operating handle 21, through the instrumentality ofwhich latter the impression cylinder 19 may be rotated on its axis ineither direction and by reason of the coaction between the gear 20 andrack 15, during such rotation, linear reciprocation of the bed 12 iseffected. During reciprocation of the bed from right to left in Figurel, which reciprocation constitutes the printing stroke of the bed,impression receiving material, such as paper, carried by the cylinderwill receive an impression from a suitably linked form carried by thebed. During the opposite or non-printing stroke of the bed theimpression cylinder is raised, in this case manually, by a mechanism indicated generally at B, so as to be, during such non-printing stroke,inoperative with respect to a form carried by the bed. 1V hen thenon-printing stroke of the bed is completed the impression cylinder isagain lowered so as to cooperate with a form during the printing strokeof the bed. A suitable paper shelf C is supported on the frame portions16 and 17 and from which sheets of paper may be manually fed to theimpression cylinder 19 as the latter is rotated during the printingstroke of the bed.

At the side of the impression cylinder opposite to the paper shelf C andbetween the portions 16 and 17 I mount a swinging frame D whichcomprises a shaft 22 whose ends are journaled in the portions 16 and 17respectively and fixed on this shaft are arms 23 and 24, the free endsof which constitute journals for the trunnions 25 and 26 respectively,of a form inking roller E in the form of a cylindrical body comprising atube 27 closed at each end by a head 28, said heads being fixed on anaxial shaft 29; Mounted exteriorly on the tube 27 at each end of thelatter is a ring 30 the outer plane face of which is beveled as at 31.Between'the rings 30 the tube 27 is covered with the usual ink receivingcomposition 32. Mounted on the shaft 29 outwardly of each head 28 is adisk 33 the inner face of which has an annular bevel 34 oppositelydisposed to the bevel 31 of its related head 28. Seated between eachdisk 33 and head 28 directly upon the bevels .31 and 34 arecorrespondingly beveled portions of a friction tire 35, preferablyrubber. It will now be noted that each disk 33 is slidable on the shaft29, so that when a disk 32 is forced toward its related head 28 its related tire will be adjusted outwardly diametrically, while the oppositemovement of the disk will permit its related tire to contract and thusreduce its diameter. The aforesaid movement of each disk 33 toward therelated head 28 for the purpose of enlarging the diameter of the relatedtire 35 is accomplished by the manipulation of an adjusting nut 36threaded on the shaft 29. During the reciprocation of the bed 12 eachtire 35 engages a respective track 14 and directly rotates the roller E.This direct rotation or positive drive of the form inking roller byfrictional contact of the tires 35 with the tracks 14 occurs both beforeand during the inking of a form by the roller and serves to preventslurring of ink on the form upon initial contact of the roller therewithand during movement of the roller over the form.

The mechanism for inking the roller E is mounted on the frame portions16 and 17 and comprises distributing rollers 37, 38, 39 which areournaled in and extend between the frame portions 16 and 17 and in suchposi tionthat the form inking roller E can be moved into and out ofcontact with the distributing roller 37. Mounted on the frame portion 17is an electric motor 40 whose shaft 41 extends transverse the axes ofthe distributing rollers and into a casing 42 and within said. casing aworm 43 is fixed on the shaft and meshes with a worm wheel 44 fixed onthe adjacent trunnion of the distributing roller 37. From thisconstruction it will be apparent that upon operation of the motor 40,distributing roller 37 will be driven by the connections between thesame and the motor and that the rollers 38 and 39 will in turn bergtated by frictional contact with the roller 31.

In order to move the form inking roller into engagement with the roller37 for reinking, I provide on the side of the bed 12 remote from therack 15 two plates 45 and 46 whose adjacent inner ends are spaced apartand shaped to provide oppositely disposed inclined surfaces 47 and 48respectively, the upper edges of the plates being parallel to the bed12. The arm 23 of the frame has a downward angular extension 49 and thefree end of this extension carries a roller or cam follower 50 which,during each complete linear movement of the bed 12, cooperates with thesurfaces 47 and 48 and with the upper edges of the plates 45 and 46 tomove and hold theroller E in contact with the roller 37, so that saidroller E is inked from the roller 37 at both the beginning and end ofeach printing stroke of the bed 12. In other words through theinstrumentality of the structure just described, during normal operationof the press, the roller E and the form to be printed or proofed areboth inked twice prior to an impression being taken from the form. Itwill of course be understood that when a form is applied to the bed itwill lie between the inner ends of the plates 45 and 46, so that duringboth strokes of the bed 12 the roller E will be moved by gravity intoinking engagement with the form and remain in such engagement until theroller 50 coacts with one or the other inclined surfaces 47 or 48, atwhich time it will be elevated into contact with the roller 37'and heldin such contact by the upper edge of one of the plates 47 or 48 untilthe particular stroke of the bed 12 is completed and also until apredetermined portion of the succeeding stroke of the bed is alsocompleted. It will thus be apparent that when the roller E is inkingaform it is out of contact with all other rollers.

Another important feature of my invention resides in the relation of thecircumference length of the form inking roller E to the printing lengthof thebed. In my present invention I make the circumference length ofthe form printing roller E at least equal to the printing length of thebed, so that during each inking of a form no part'of the circumferenceof the roller E will engage the form twice with resulting enhancement ofuniform distribution of ink on the form and the prevention of paleportions after the first revolution of small form rollers commonly used;

I claim: I

1. In a printing press, an impression cylinder, a reciprocating formcarrying bed one movement of which is a printing stroke and the other anon-printing stroke, av form inking roller, inking means into and outof'contact with which the form inking roller is movable, and meansautomatically operable at the end of each stroke of the bed to move theform inking roller from form inking position into contact with saidinking means.

2. In a printing press, an impression cylinder, a form carrying bedhaving relative printing and non-printing movement with respect to thecylinder, a form inking roller, inking means into and out of contactWith which the form inking roller is movable, and means automaticallyoperable at the end of both the relative printing and non-printingmovements of the bed to move the form inking roller from form inkingposition into contact with said inking means.

3. In a printing press, an impression cylinder, a reciprocating formcarrying bed one movement of which is a printing stroke and the other anon-printing stroke, a form inking roller, inking means into and out ofcontact with which the form inking roller is movable, and cam meansbetween the inking roller and bed operable at the end of each stroke ofthe bed to move the form inking roller from form inking position intocontact with said inking means.

4. In a printing press, an impression cylinder, a reciprocating formcarrying bed one movement of which is a printing stroke and the other anon-printing stroke, an inking device, a swinging frame, a form inkingroller carried by the frame and shiftable in response to the movement ofthe frame into and out of contact with the inking device, spaced cams onthe bed, and a cam follower on the frame cooperating with one of saidcams at the end of one stroke of the bed and the other cam at the end ofthe other stroke of the bed to swing the frame and thereby move the forminking roller into contact with the inking1 device at the end of eachstroke of the In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

HENRY R. TROTTER.

